Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

[Murph]

SAPD has lost one of its best. I had met the guy a while back, and he was a good guy with their ROP (Repeat Offender Program) unit, the guys who deal with the baddest of the bad.

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

A gun battle in the parking lot of a crowded apartment complex near the Medical Center has left a San Antonio police detective and a suspect dead. The shooting started at about 1:30pm Friday at the Villas at St. Moritz Apartments near Babcock and Medical Drive.

Send your condolences to slain officer's family...

Chief William McManus says undercover officers from the department's Repeat Offender Program were staking out a suspect in a domestic violence shooting Thursday in the apartment parking lot.

"The woman who had been shot came to us and told us that she would help us find him," McManus said. "The plan was for the suspect to meet her in the parking lot and we would arrest him at that time."

But the suspect apparently spotted police and turned and ran through the parking lot, with several officers pursuing him.

McManus tells WOAI that Detective Mario Moreno, 37, began chasing the suspect on foot. During the foot chase, the suspect turned and unloaded a shotgun blast into the face of Detective Moreno. The other officers on the scene returned fire, killing the suspect.
7221 Lamb Dr Detective Moreno was killed while serving a warrant for a shooting that happened Thursday at an apartment complex Gardendale Street - just a short distance from Friday's lethal gun battle. The woman shot in the leg in Thursday was the suspect's girlfriend.

McManus said Detective Moreno was taken by ambulance to University Hospital, where he later died. Moreno has been with the SAPD for more than 10 years working with the department's Repeat Offender Program. He leaves behind his wife and two children - one age five and the other just months old.

"This is a stark wake up call for all of us about how dangerous it is to be out here with these type of suspects," McManus said. "I am heartbroken."

“We will miss Mario,” said San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger in a released statement. “Our tears join the family's tears. Our prayers and condolences are with them.”

The mayor and city manager also ask that the flags be lowered to half-staff in honor of Moreno.

The last San Antonio police officer to die in the line of duty was Officer John Wheeler back in October 2005. This is the first officer who has fallen in the line of duty since McManus joined the force in April of 2006.

If you’re interested in helping the family of Detective Moreno, “The 100 Club of San Antonio” as a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of families of firefighters and peace officers slain in the line of duty. Click here for more information…

Send your condolences to slain officer's family...
Slain Officer Was Working Undercover
Detective Moreno was undercover as part of the department’s repeat offender program (ROP). It's no coincidence that these officers were in the right place at the right time. Their job is to watch suspects and wait for them to slip up.

Just Friday morning a major drug bust uncovered several kilos of cocaine and of lots of cash. It was the police's repeat offenders program that made the bust after keeping an eye on the home for some time.

The elite unit of undercover detectives was first launched in 2003. ROP is made up of three separate teams that cover all hours of the day. They’re not quite patrol officers and not exactly detectives. A normal detective is getting the case after the fact, but these cops follow the bad guys and wait.

“They may be watching you from a building,” explains spokesperson Lt. Tracy Powers. “They may be watching you with cameras from the stores. I mean we're everywhere.”

It is not unusual, as in Friday’s shooting, for other officers not in the ROP unit to act as back up.
Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
With six officers killed in the line of duty in the last seven years, this is the most San Antonio has seen since the 1970s. That was the deadliest decade ever for this city - when ten officers died.

Beamer's World: Tragic Deja Vu...

According to police department records dating back to 1857, Moreno is the 47th officer to die in the line of duty. About half of those were shot; about half died in accidents; all while protecting the community.


The five officers to die since 2000...

Oscar Perez was shot while serving a warrant.
John Riojas was shot by a suspect after a chase.
Hector Garza was shot and killed when he responded to a disturbance call.
Juan Morales was hit by a drunk driver while on motorcycle patrol.
John Wheeler was killed by a drunk driver.
You may remember the story of John Wheeler. He was the last officer killed in action - that was October of 2005. He was on the side of Loop 410 near Culebra when a drunk driver slammed into his patrol car at 90 miles an hour. The cars exploded in flames. Wheeler and the other driver both died.

[TxKent]

How very tragic. My office is next to the Peace Officer's Memorial here at the Capitol in Austin. I am humbled every time that I go over there. I will pray for him & his family.

[Arnor]

Hi Murph,

This is just awful:( This happened just over a mile from where I live (off of Cinnamon Hill, just south of Fredricksburg; I see the USAA building out of my upstairs window) If I remember correctly another officer was killed few years back on the other side of Fredricksburg, in the Bluemel area.

Best regards,

[Night Owl]

The officer stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining.
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, Officer.
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To my church have you been true?"

The officer squared his shoulders and
said "No, Lord, I guess I ain't,
Because those who carry badges
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was rough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the streets are awfully tough.

But I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help.
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fear.

If You've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I've never expected or had too much,
But if You don't....I'll understand."

There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod.
As the officer waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, Officer,
You've borne your burdens well
Come work a beat on Heaven's streets
You've done your time in hell."

- author unknown